


the quiet after snow

by kintou



Series: homesick for a mountain's song [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Established Relationship, Extra, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Not Beta Read, Oneshot, Original Character(s), Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:22:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28442367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kintou/pseuds/kintou
Summary: Old houses need a little bit more to stay warm. Sasuke and Naruto manage with a lot of blankets, memories from their summer days and sake from their old neighbors.(Something extra for 'homesick for a mountain's song')
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: homesick for a mountain's song [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2083362
Comments: 26
Kudos: 147





	the quiet after snow

**Author's Note:**

> Happy New Year! I wanted to write a small extra as a thank you for all the love and support I got when writing 'homesick for a mountain's song'. You guys made my year so special! 
> 
> I wrote this rather quickly, but I hope you guys will enjoy it.  
> Once again, [ I have a playlist for this story. ](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3L4H2m7o7eXlRaXzYPYFf2?si=_CHdMZ7LQlaSb7jZDKfdCw)
> 
> Thank you so much & I hope that the next year will bring you lots of soft moments.

He heard Naruto walk into the garden, then laying down something onto the _engawa_. They’d taken quite a while, Hirouki and Naruto. Sasuke pulled his sweater closer to his body and cracked open the door towards the veranda. The air was icy, the garden looking slightly white from the frost. The sky had a soft pink hue; no doubt that it was going to snow. 

“Hey Sas,” Naruto mumbled as he jumped onto the veranda. His cheeks were red from the cold, matching his gloves. He loaded a pile of firewood from the handcart onto the veranda _._ There was wood for an army in that handcart. Not that he minded having it laying around. “Old man Hirouki is such a hard-ass. He wasn’t even wearing gloves.” 

Sasuke hummed. “Can’t say I’m surprised.” He closed the door to the living room and walked towards where Naruto was standing. “Hand me those.” 

Naruto grinned and handed him the firewood he was holding. Sasuke put it against the wall, where it could stay dry even if it started snowing. Their hands touched, Naruto’s gloves were still a little wet from the ice. He wanted to hurry up so he could warm Naruto’s hands, his cheeks, himself. 

They worked through the pile of wood quite quickly, luckily. When they were almost done, Naruto held his hand as he reached out for the wood and held him in place with sticks between them. “What?” Sasuke asked. 

Naruto grinned cheekily, pulled him in and kissed his jaw lazily. “You’re warm.” He mumbled against Sasuke’s neck. Even though Sasuke was definitely not warm at all. Naruto was just fucking freezing. “Can you go start a fire?” 

Sasuke hummed as an answer, taking the firewood with him as he pulled back. Naruto watched him as he walked back inside, a soft smile on his face. “Hurry up.” Sasuke said as he walked back inside, closing the door behind him. 

Honestly, the house was impossible to keep warm. He’d expected that when buying the house, but that was different from it actually happening. Summers in the Fire Country were usually a lot longer than any cold period. The summer had been easy on them; they’d spent their evenings sleeping on the engawa or with the sliding doors wide open. They’d taken naps in the dirt or with their feet hanging from the riverside. They’d cleaned themselves in the in the river, too lazy to walk to the _onsen,_ and they’d undressed each other in the open air on particularly soft nights. 

This was different. 

He didn’t dislike it; this was definitely a different kind of cold than the one he’d felt before. It wasn’t his heart that was cold, not his chest and his world. It was merely his toes, his fingertips, his ears. 

Sesame was laying on top of their orange blanket, snoring away all day. In the morning the cat had walked towards the garden, taken a look, and decided against going outside. Sasuke couldn’t blame him. When old man Hirouki had asked which one of them would come to gather firewood, he’d felt rather glad that Naruto had offered to go. 

He dropped the firewood into the _irori,_ kneeled down and started a fire using the smallest jutsu he could manage. The room lit up. Sesame glanced up at the warmth, blinked at Sasuke and then closed his eyes again. “Lazy,” Sasuke told him. 

Sesame gave him quite _a_ _look._ One saying that he didn’t care in the slightest, one accusing him of exactly the same. 

He slowly got up and walked towards the bedroom, where most of their clothes were laying, (and where they still hadn’t even slept a single night). The room smelled like no one lived there, the floor felt even colder on his sock-covered feet. He pulled a pair of thick socks and one of Naruto’s hideous orange sweaters from the closet, then he walked back towards the living room. It was already obviously warmer than the other room.

When Naruto walked back inside his entire body was shivering. A few times he jumped up and down to warm himself. The wooden floor complained underneath him. “How do people live in this kind of weather?” He complained, kicking out his shoes against the garden doors. They fell down with a loud thud. His socks were, as Sasuke had expected, soaked as well. Naruto threw them onto his shoes, and walked towards the fireplace. His feet were white and wrinkly. 

“Come here.” Sasuke mumbled, stepping closer to the fire. 

Naruto followed, walking up to him with a mischievous smile on his face. Sasuke, at first, took Naruto’s cheeks into his hands. They felt icy against his fingertips. 

“Take off your pants,” He said. 

“Oh?” Naruto asked, grinning brightly. “–and then?” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes, shoved Naruto lightly. His lover just laughed at him, mumbling sweet complaints as he pulled off his pants and kicked it into a random direction. Naruto had goosebumps all over his legs. He took Naruto’s cold sweater into his hand and pulled it up. “Hands up.” 

Naruto shivered right away. “Holy fuck– that’s so cold.”

  
Sasuke pushed his hand, warmer than any spot on Naruto’s entire body against the other’s skin. He grabbed onto his hip, pulled their body’s together and kissed Naruto’s neck. 

“You’re so warm,” Naruto breathed out.

“Hm.” He pulled away, grabbed the sweater he’d gotten for the other. Naruto pouted at the loss of skin but took the fabric from his hand anyway. 

“Keep touching me?” 

“Pull that on.” 

Naruto nodded, did as he’d told him.

“Sit down,” he said then. While Naruto sat down, still moaning complaints like an old man, Sasuke did the same. Then he lifted Sesame off the blanket and placed the in cat hair covered blanket on top of Naruto’s legs. The blanket was warm where Sesame had been laying. Sasuke took Naruto’s feet, underneath the blanket, into his hand and started rubbing warmth into it. 

Naruto moaned softly, closing his eyes. “Nevermind. I totally get how people survive this.” 

Once Naruto’s feet were finally starting to feel warm he took one of the woolen socks and tried to pull it on for Naruto. He cursed his missing arm as Naruto reached out to pull on the other side of the sock. 

“So,” Naruto started, an excited sound to his voice. Sasuke rubbed Naruto’s feet a few more times and Naruto waited before speaking again. “I think you should warm all of me. I sacrificed myself by going with Hirouki.” Naruto opened his arms for Sasuke to hold him, grinning brightly. “Come here.” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “You like spending time with him.” 

“And I also hammered the blankets and bags around the henhouse this morning.” 

“They’re your chicken.” 

“How could you say that?” Naruto poked him with his feet. “Okay, whatever, I give up. Just hug me please. It’s cold.” 

How could he deny that? It _was_ cold. He was wearing two sweaters and he was still freezing. Smoothly, he got up, threw two more pieces of wood into the _irori_ and moved towards Naruto. He placed himself in between Naruto’s legs while the other held up the blanket to cover the both of them with it. Naruto’s body seemed to have warmed itself within seconds. 

Sasuke leaned into the touch, against Naruto’s chest. 

“Ah– that’s good,” Naruto moaned out. 

“Warm?” 

Naruto nodded. He wrapped two arms around Sasuke and snuggled his nose into his neck. Naruto’s heart was beating slowly, calmly. It was a pace reserved for moments that left like _home._

He grabbed onto Naruto's hand, tangled their fingers together and squeezed them lightly. “I was thinking–” Naruto said. “Would you like to go to the memorial place before the others come over, tomorrow?” 

Sasuke focused on the fire. The warmth felt intense against his cheeks. He could hear the burning wood crackle lightly. Once in a while a piece snapped. He liked the sound of that. These days, now that it was cold outside, the sounds inside of their house were louder than the ones outside. The birds weren’t singing for each other anymore, the cicadas had left as they should. Only the sound of the river remained unchanged. The house, though, complained about the cold just like Naruto and himself did. Sesame became bolder with the day, complaining louder and louder when he wanted food. And now, he realized, he could focus on the firewood burning safely as well. “Hm. Yeah.” 

The fire had burned out by the time he woke up. He could feel that the room was cold, still he felt warm, wrapped up in all the blankets they’d been able to find in their house. Naruto had dramatically wrapped his arms and legs around Sasuke’s body. Sasuke stared at the ash inside of the fireplace, listened. Naruto was snoring softly, he could definitely hear the river and still– still the world around him felt so much more quiet than anything he’d felt before. 

He’d seen snow before.

He knew it’s silence.

This was his first time being there for it though. He turned around in Naruto’s arms, glanced at the other boy casually drooling all over their blankets. The air outside of their safe bubble was definitely too cold and still Sasuke pulled back. He got out from underneath the blankets, quickly put on the nearest sweater (which happened to be Naruto’s awful orange one) and got up. Naruto moaned a complaint, turned around sleepily. The floor creaked as he moved. Sasuke felt warm at the sight, at the sound. He slowly raised the blanket and tucked the other in carefully.

The floor was cold through his socks as he walked towards the _engawa,_ Sesame’s soft footsteps right behind him. He pushed the door open carefully, and then– he stood still. 

His own garden was completely covered in white. Every single plant they’d been growing, the henhouse, the old shack, even the trees growing in the back of the garden. The sun had yet to rise completely, giving the sky a rare pastel shade. He wrapped his arm around himself and stepped out onto the veranda. Sesame hid behind him; it was his first time seeing snow. 

He kind of felt like it was his own first time seeing snow as well.

These days he felt like he was seeing everything anew. Like, once again, he had new eyes. This was the very first time that it felt like these eyes were his and his only. Where he’d used the other ones for purposes he’d rather forget, he could use these eyes for seeing snow. He could use these eyes so that he wouldn’t miss a single birthmark on Naruto’s body. He could use these eyes for spotting animals, for seeing the sun rise in the early morning, for staring at his husband and for resting on lazy days. 

“Sasuke?” He heard Naruto’s hoarse voice behind him. 

“Snow.” He breathed out as a reply. 

Naruto, who’d seemed like he was planning on sleeping another lifetime seconds ago, got on his feet excitedly right away. He took the entire blanket with him, wrapped around his shoulders. “It did? Did it snow?” 

“Hm.” 

Naruto moved towards the door with a bright grin on his face. He knew Naruto had nothing but terrible memories linked to snow, but he seemed excited about making some new ones. He walked up to Sasuke, wrapped the blanket around his shoulders as well and stared at their garden. “That’s awesome!” He said excitedly. “Snow is so pretty. Do you think it’s pretty?” 

Sasuke leaned into Naruto’s touch, into the blanket that was still warm from where they’d slept. Only his legs were becoming cold from the wind blowing into the house, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

“It’s quiet.” He answered. 

“What?” 

“The snow. It’s quiet.” 

Naruto stared at the snow as if trying to figure out how exactly snow could be quiet. Maybe Naruto was right. Snow definitely looked a certain way; white, shiny, soft. And yes, it definitely felt a certain way too; cold, sharp, wet. He didn’t know how snow sounded, though. Maybe it didn’t sound any different from other things, unless you walk on top of it. Not like a storm or rain, not like a hot day where birds and insects sing loudly. 

“Quiet how?” Naruto asked. 

Sasuke just shrugged. 

“Is it nice? Do you like it, the quiet?” 

Sasuke turned around, to look at Naruto. Naruto pulled the blanket further over his shoulders, almost covering him completely. 

“Hm, I like it.” 

By the time they were ready to leave it was already midday. There didn’t seem to be much of a difference, on these grey days. Naruto and he were both wearing two pairs of socks in their hiking shoes, their thickest sweater and a coat. They’d made fresh bao’s, stacked them up in the prettiest containers they owned and put them in their bag. Sasuke had taken the incense they’d bought at the market a few weeks back. With their bags completely full they left the house. 

Naruto grabbed his hand and pulled him through the snow. The snow crunched underneath their shoes as they walked towards the forest, further up the mountain. They walked towards the river, kept on walking when they’d passed the waterfall. Naruto used his free hand to touch every branch covered in snow. He kicked the snow into the air, bumped shoulders with him as if to say: ‘ _are you seeing this?’_

They turned to the left, without speaking about it. By now they moved together naturally. They did so in their own kitchen, when Naruto was looking over his shoulder when he cooked. They did so while sleeping, with their limbs wrapped around each other like they were meant to hold nothing else. And now, while walking up the mountain they’d come to know so well. Where they knew every route and every weird looking tree. Where they knew how to walk if they wanted water, flowers, deer, _onsen._

The memorial stones were covered in snow, as expected. They were finally starting to get covered in moss too, which Sasuke felt glad for. He’d thought the stones looked weird, being completely new and shiney. Both of their families had been long gone; they deserved a memorial stone that looked the part. One that said ‘ _after years and years, I will still be remembered.’_ Naruto and he remembered, better than ever before. They made space in their mind for mourning, for thinking about what family really meant, for realizing that they deserved better and then simply accepting that fact. They’d tucked that fact away in the back of their mind. _They had deserved more from family than what they’d gotten._ Okay. That was fine. They were here now and they were doing good. 

Naruto let go of his hand to set the tiny table, or stool, straight again. He pushed it into the snow to steady it. Sasuke sat down next to him on his knees and took out two incense holders from his bag. He felt the cold snow through his pants as he put an incense holder on each side of the table. Then he took out the bao’s they’d freshly made and handed the container to Naruto.

“Ah, thanks.” Naruto mumbled. 

Naruto opened the container and then got down on his knees as well. He let his eyes travel over Naruto as the other straightened his back, bowed down once and then put the bao’s on top of their offering table. The other stared at the memorial stone for his parents for a little while, at the names: _Uchiha Mikoto, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Itachi._ It reminded Sasuke of the time when they’d made this place. When they’d wanted to get married, to promise each other _forever._ Kana had told them to pay respect to each other’s parents if they wanted to marry. They hadn’t thought about it but they’d listened to Kana without a fight. Making the memorial spot had been like a healing ritual. Offering their incense and asking for each other’s parents' blessing had been one of the most intimate things he’d ever done. Only the thought of it could leave him– well– breathless. 

Every time they came here felt like that, a little. Every single time he realized that this was the man he was going to spend _forever_ with. This man was his. They promised to be by each other’s side and Sasuke felt himself believing that promise more and more everyday. 

Naruto raised his head, grinned at him. “Come on.”

Sasuke handed Naruto one of the incense sticks and the lighter. Then he sat down in front of his own parents' memorial stone. He sat close to Naruto, their sides softly touching. Naruto held out a lighter for him. 

Exactly at the same time, like they’d done before, they placed the incense in front of the stones. Then they bowed down. The snow was freezing cold on their hands, but he found it quite fitting. He let himself bow down deeply, his forehead against the cold earth. He thought of his parents, allowing them to have their place inside of his mind. He allowed memories of his mother tucking him in on cold days and of his father lifting him so that he could see the fireworks on New Years Eve. Then, slowly, he breathed out and straightened his back. Naruto moved with him; had been waiting for him to get up. 

Naruto shifted, smiled at Sasuke shyly and then back at the memorial stones. “Mum, dad, happy New Year.” 

He let himself reach out for his husband, his everything. Naruto grabbed his hand tightly. “And Mikoto, Fugaku, Itachi, you too; happy New Year. Thank you for making sure Sasuke can stand next to me.” He bowed down again. Naruto’s cheeks were colouring red. He couldn’t quite guess if it was the cold, embarrassment, excitement. “Thank you,” Naruto told him, his eyes soft. “For this year.” 

Sasuke nodded slowly. He could feel the cold silver necklace on his neck, his own version of a wedding ring. The necklace that made one an Uchiha. “You too.” 

As soon as the memorial spot was out of sight Naruto tackled him to the ground. He fell softly onto the snow. He barely felt how soggy his clothes were anymore, used to the wetness from bowing down. 

Naruto was grinning brightly. “My snow angel.” 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Is that what you’re getting us a cold for? To call me that?” 

“No.” Naruto’s eyes turned mischievous before he pushed their lips together clumsily. Sasuke let himself get pushed down by the pressure of Naruto’s mouth against him. He hummed as Naruto opened his lips, kissed him deeper. He felt Naruto’s hands tangle in his wet messy hair, breathed out at the safe touch. 

He got how Naruto was feeling, _he did._

“Sasuke,” Naruto said. It almost sounded painful. 

He wanted to tell Naruto that it was alright; that other years weren’t going to get worse just because this one had been so good. He wanted to tell Naruto that, yes, he thought about their _forever_ every time he offered incense. He wanted to tell Naruto _yes, yes, yes, yes, yes._ Enough for it to weigh against all the _no’s_ he’d ever told. He wanted to tell Naruto that he'd meant it when he’d promised forever, today, tomorrow, years from now. 

He couldn’t speak to tell Naruto those things. His throat was closed; he was more confident in his acts, in his ability to give things time these days. So he leaned in when Naruto wanted to give him another kiss. With everything he had, he kissed Naruto back. 

Then, right before Naruto wanted to pull back, he filled his hand with snow, held Naruto close, and threw all of that snow on top of Naruto’s head. 

Just to see him smile.

Just because they’d missed being young and he wanted to return something light to Naruto. 

“Ah– You bastard!” Naruto pulled back, shook his head to that all of the snow fell on top of Sasuke’s face as well. The blond was grinning so brightly. Sasuke fucking _loved_ this man. 

He scrambled to his feet, smirking at Naruto. 

Naruto pulled his leg, making him drop to the ground again. “No you don’t!” Naruto sat on top of him, holding his arm down. Sasuke found it unfair at times, that Naruto had both arms. During sex, when Naruto was holding him tight, for example. Or when Naruto scratched both his and Sesame’s heads. Or now that Naruto was reaching out for a pile of snow while holding him down.

“Don’t you dare,” he said. 

“Try me, bastard,” Naruto laughed, dropping the entire pile of snow onto Sasuke’s face. The snow felt nice against his skin. Icy, sure, but nice. He wanted Naruto to laugh like that some more. 

He pushed Naruto over into the snow. They were definitely completely soaked by now. It didn’t matter. He pushed another hand of snow against Naruto’s face. Naruto, in his turn, pulled Sasuke in and rubbed their faces together like a cat. A very, very wet cat. 

“You idiot.” 

“Fight me.” Naruto said, jokingly. 

Sasuke pulled back, smirking. “Is that what you want?” 

“Yes! Let’s rumble.” 

Slowly he reached out. He grabbed Naruto's jaw and slid his nose against the other’s. He whispered, as softly as he could: “Hm, is that what you want?” 

Naruto chuckled, hoarsely, and reached out to pull him in. Sasuke, as quickly as he could, took a hand of snow and shoved it down the other’s sweater. “Ah fuck!” Naruto yelled in return. Sasuke, quickly, scrambled to his feet and backed off. He grabbed their bag and ran towards the path they’d been walking on. Naruto took a shocked three seconds to get on his feet, but when he did he ran like a madman. “You traitor! I thought you liked me!” 

  
  


Sasuke was not allowed to cook. He wasn’t allowed to help or buy anything either. Kana had simply waved him away while she had taken over his kitchen. By the time Hina walked into the kitchen as well he knew it truly was a lost cause. The two women got out his new knives, complained about his measuring cups, put his plates in a row and giggled to themselves while they were at it. 

“Can I help?” He asked, again. 

“Go sit with the guys, darling. We’ll be fine. You should relax.” He didn’t exactly know when he wasn’t relaxing. These days were filled with research, sending letters to let people know what he’d thought of, and then going back to lazing around with Sesame. 

He looked around the corner of the kitchen. Hirouki was telling Naruto a story loudly, he hit the table while making a certain point. When he hit the table, the entire house seemed to creak. Neither one of the men seemed bothered. Naruto hit Hirouki’s shoulder a few times and then started telling his own story, laughing.

It seemed… loud. 

“No thank you.” He told Kana. 

Kana just laughed. She knew him, knew he’d say that. “Take this, then.” She handed him a plate full vegetables to put on the table. “I have a few more, so come back. Oh, and where did you leave the teapot?” 

It was their first time eating together with everyone. They’d eaten with Kana and Hirouki a few times and whenever Hirouki was gone Kana would come and cook for them. When Naruto was working in Konoha, Sasuke would spend the day listening to the way Kana talked to her plants, to her vegetables, and they’d cook together. Having all the neighbors together in one place, though, was quite rare. It was already late for dinner but no one seemed bothered by that. As a matter of fact, it seemed that everything was going according to plan. Naruto and he had gotten wrapped up in an old tradition, it seemed. 

“It’s such a shame that we don’t have a view like you boys do. You’re very lucky, you know that right?” Kana was saying, laying down food at her husband's plate mindlessly. Naruto was grilling some meat and putting half of it on Sasuke’s plate as well. 

“No way,” Hina piped up. “Why is this the best view? To see Konoha? I’ll take the forest over Konoha every day.” 

“You can’t see the fireworks from there, is all I’m saying.” Kana answered.

Hina shrugged. “Our old way worked just fine.” 

Before he could ask what ‘their old way’ was, Kana bumped his shoulder with a soft smile on her face. “We used to use this house for new years. Can you believe that?” While she was talking she took some vegetables and put them on Naruto’s plate. It was her own way of telling him that he was eating too much meat. “We used to eat at our house, of course, since this was such a dusty place back then.” She softly chuckled at the memory. “But when it was almost midnight, we would go here and stand on your creaky _engawa._ Konoha spends a lot of money on fireworks, you know? It would be a waste to buy it ourselves.” 

Naruto nodded excitedly, then passed the vegetables Kana had put on his plate to Sasuke’s plate. “Definitely the best fireworks shows.” 

“Naruto–” Kana warned him.

“What? I’m just saying the firework is–” 

“Your vegetables!” 

“Sasuke likes them better! Kana, we’re celebrating! Please don’t make me eat so much.” Naruto pouted like an idiot. Kana rolled her eyes at him, while Hina huffed out a complaint and Hirouki just laughed. “Right, Sasuke?”Naruto asked. 

“I guess you’re a lost cause.” He answered. It was a miracle this idiot was eating anything that didn’t go with ramen noodles. He was eating more and a lot better these days. They kept on reminding themselves, and each other, that no one had taught him how to eat properly. He’d been just a kid living on instant ramen; it wasn’t his fault. 

That didn’t mean that Sasuke wouldn’t tease him a little, though. 

Kana nodded dramatically. She put her hand on Sasuke’s arm, a mischievous smile on her face. “Poor Sasuke, you must have it hard with a husband like that. I’m glad you’re around to keep our hopes for young people high, sweetheart.” 

“Thank you, Kana.” He played along. “It’s truly quite hard, having to cook ramen every single day. My hand is hurting from stirring the miso all day long.” 

“Oy! You guys are so mean to me!” 

Kana burst out laughing. Her husband and Hina followed quickly after. They stopped eating for a while, just to laugh at his bright lover. Hirouki slapped the table a few times and then held his stomach as if it was hurting from his own loud laugh. 

“Sasuke… they’re bullying me.” Naruto complained. 

He took pity on Naruto, but only a little bit. Slowly he leaned in, gave Naruto a soft kiss on his cheek. Naruto instantly went warm, smiling brightly. “You do like me,” he said. 

“Hm,” he agreed. “Can’t be helped.” 

When it was getting late Hina got up and opened the _tobukuro_ roughly. “Sasuke and Naruto,” she said, “these are your doors now.” 

_Oh._

That was Hina’s way of saying they were truly a part of something now. It seemed that it was their turn to open the doors. Maybe that meant it was their turn to open the New Years Eve officially. Sasuke got up, Naruto following closely behind him.

Kana was getting a bottle of sake from her bag excitedly. “Is it almost time?” 

“We’ll see,” Hirouki answered. 

Naruto and him each took one of the sliding doors, opened roughly and familiarly. Naruto grinned up at him when they did. He wondered why opening the doors to their _engawa_ felt so special. 

He wondered what tradition really meant, in a place like this. Was it flued? How different was it now that they were here? Was it something they could build anew?

Their neighbors came to stand next to them. Hina impatiently pushed Naruto towards Sasuke, where he was apparently supposed to stand, and then rolled her eyes as Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke’s waist. He leaned into Naruto’s warm touch. The cold outside suddenly didn’t seem so bad anymore. Maybe it was all the food they’d eaten, the warmth of their neighbors, or the letters of their friends from Konoha that were standing on the bookshelf. 

“Do we count?” Naruto asked. 

“No.” Hirouki answered. 

“Then what do we do?” 

“We wait.” The old man said. 

Naruto chuckled, then glanced at Sasuke. _Waiting._ Naruto had waited for him for what had felt like a lifetime. Not a lot of people realized that he had. They remembered Naruto as someone who was always fighting, screaming, running around.  
Sasuke knew he’d waited; they would have never been here if Naruto hadn’t. 

He leaned in, snuggled his nose against Naruto’s neck. Every breath between them felt like thankfulness. Naruto tightened his grip on him. Sasuke placed hand on top of Naruto’s and then– 

A loud _bang_ filled the air. 

He got shivers all over his back, grabbed onto Naruto’s hand tightly. 

_Ah,_ so that was it. He breathed out. He didn’t feel different than he had before. He glanced up at Naruto, who was grinning at the sky as fireworks exploded. As soon as Naruto caught him looking, he stared back at him. “Sasuke,” Naruto simply said. 

“Naruto– happy–” No. _Thank you,_ he wanted to say. He wanted to say it over and over again. He wished that words that worked for him, but they lacked. His thoat closed up. 

“My _forever.”_ Naruto said. That worked. That was enough. A year didn’t matter for them. They were busy leaving old things behind but they were doing so slowly. Nothing had to change right now. They were going to move forward like people who live on a mountain; slowly, while waiting, while growing roots deeper than any tree.

“Forever,” he repeated. 

Naruto kissed his temple, barely holding back his grin, and looked over Konoha. There, fireworks were burning up the sky. Where the sound made Sasuke want to hide, the sight of them lighting up Naruto’s face made him feel warm.

He watched his neighbors as they were watching the colours lighting up the sky. Hirouki had an arm wrapped around Kana, their wrinkly hands interlocked tightly. Hina was slowly sipping sake with a soft smile on her face. No one spoke. 

No one told each other happy New Year, no one cheered or sang. Instead, they held something unspoken together. He was pretty sure he was starting to get it; the silent language of this mountain. 

“Sasuke,” Naruto whispered, still looking over the village. He looked good like that, looking over the village he’d protected when they needed him to. “It’s so beautiful.” 

A big red firework exploded when Sasuke looked back at the sky. He remembered those fireworks from his childhood. He’d seen them from his father’s shoulders, satisfied and tired from his mother’s cooking. He hadn’t expected to ever feel anything close to that again. “Yeah, it is.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that. Happy New Year everyone ❤️
> 
> You can also ask me questions on [Tumblr](https://soft-fics.tumblr.com/) or you can follow me on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/feluijten/) !


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